Tim Ellis, KUAC - Fairbanks
Tim Ellis is a reporter at KUAC in Fairbanks.
Slavic Population Influx Slowing In Delta
The refugee settlement office that serves members of Delta’s Slavic community is closing. The influx of immigrants from Russia and other Eastern European nations that’s boosted the area’s population by nearly 40 percent over the past 20 years, is slowing.
Officials Investigating Vehicle Fire In Pogo Gold Mine
A federal mine-safety official from Anchorage has been at the Pogo gold mine since this morning investigating the evacuation and shutdown of the mine in response to a vehicle fire underground early this morning.
Grocery Shoppers Feeling Effects Of ALCAN Closure
The Alaska Highway closure has interrupted more than just summer tourists. Grocery shoppers in Interior Alaska are feeling the effects.
Tok May Be First Alaska Community Fully Powered By Biomass
Tok may become the first community in Alaska to get all its electricity from wood. A utility has proposed building a power plant that would burn black spruce, a plan backers say could serve as a test case for communities struggling with high cost fossil fuel generated power.
Police, Troopers On Lookout For Two Men Who Escaped From Halfway House
Alaska State Troopers and Fairbanks police are on the lookout for two men who walked away from a privately operated halfway house in Ester over the past 10 days. The state corrections official who oversees the NorthStar Community Residential Center and seven other facilities says the public has little to fear from the escapees, who are serving time for lesser offenses. But a Fairbanks police spokesman says the escapees divert officers from more serious cases.
Aircraft Support Aplenty For Alaska Wildfire Crews
The start of wildfire season has mangers assessing resources to battle blazes across the west this summer. There’s serious concern about air tanker support in the Lower 48, but the aircraft shortage is not an issue in Alaska.
Organizers Expect Large Turnout For Arctic Man
The snow is deep and the purse is big, so organizers expect a good turnout at this year’s Arctic Man. The unique race in the Hoodoo Mountains near Paxson brings together snowmachiners, skiers and snowboarders for Alaska’s biggest annual party.
Fairbanks Will Have New Co-op Selling Locally Grown Foods
A former downtown Fairbanks supermarket is scheduled for renovation this spring. The building will become the home of a new co-op, specializing in fresh, locally grown and organic foods.
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No Major Cuts Expected In Alaska Military Forces
The Army’s top general said last week that its leaders don’t plan on making any major cuts in its forces in Alaska. Army Chief of Staff General Ray Odierno’s responses to inquiries by Senator Lisa Murkowski come amidst federal budget cutting efforts, and uncertainty about Alaska’s military future persists.
Galena Man Arrested For False Search And Rescue Call
A Galena man is being held at Fairbanks Correctional Center after making a fake emergency call that triggered a major search and rescue operation.
Work Set To Resume On Tanana River Bridge
Work is about to resume on the biggest construction project in the Interior. What will be the state’s longest bridge is being built by the Alaska Railroad across the Tanana River near Salcha.
EPA Fines Eielson For Hazardous Waste Mismanagement
The Environmental Protection agency is fining Eielson Air Force Base $45,000 for mismanaging hazardous waste.
Eielson Job Elimination Not As Extreme As Originally Estimated
The hundreds of positions the Air Force expects to be eliminated at Eielson is less than half the number previously estimated, and as KUAC’s Tim Ellis reports, it’s unclear how solid the estimate is.
DEC Investigating North Pole Oil Spill
The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation is investigating an oil spill at the Flint Hills Resources refinery in North Pole.
Ft. Greely Officials Study Barley-Powered Electricity Proposal
Fort Greely officials are studying a proposal by a Delta Junction barley farmer to use the grain as a renewable energy source to generate electricity for the post.
Community Leaders Gather Data On Potential Eielson F-16 Move
Community leaders have begun compiling data they say will prove the Air Force won’t save money by moving an F-16 fighter squadron, and up to 1,500 military and civilian workers, from Eielson to Anchorage, but base employees are still worried.
Fairbanks Entrepreneur Setting Up Third Wind Power Generator
A Fairbanks entrepreneur is putting up a third wind generator in Delta Junction, and Golden Valley Electric Association intends to buy the additional electricity.
Alaska Senators Question Plans to Move Fighters
Alaska’s U.S. Senators told a well attended public meeting in Fairbanks over the weekend, they doubt an Air Force estimate, that moving a fighter jet squadron from Eielson to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson will save $32 million. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Mark Begich (D-AK) question Air Force leaders’ assumptions, and will work to convince them to reconsider.
ASEA Trying To Distance Self From Former Employee
The Alaska State Employee Association is trying to distance itself from a former employee accused of forging union interest cards. The ex-ASEA staffer is accused of falsifying the cards as part of the union’s effort to organize a group of University of Alaska employees.
UAF Replacing Community and Technical College Dean
University of Alaska Fairbanks administrators have placed the dean of the school’s Community and Technical College on paid leave and will search to replace her. Susan Whitener is being removed after a little more than six months on the job.